Composting Site Sets Sights on Zero Waste Goal

The executive director of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District and his staff are eager to move forward with a pilot program converting frozen food waste into usable compost from its Gary facility.

Now that the Gary Common Council has signed off on the zoning for the 10-acre site, which has operated at 3499 Chase St., since 2013 as a leaf composting site, John Minear, said Monday they can begin to move the pilot program handling frozen food waste forward while continuing to process leaves.

The program, in cooperation with Van Drunen Farms of Crown Point, is the first step in a zero waste program Minear said he told waste district board members he wanted to implement when he interviewed for the position last year. Journey to Zero will lay out plans for businesses, schools and government entities to conduct business in a zero waste fashion.